Cook Your Week: Cauliflower Fried 'Rice' with Chicken

I’m looking at a brand-new Paleo meal-delivery service this week, and it has prompted me to think about what I'm putting in my body each day. It’s a lot of gluten, dairy and sugar. Enough so that cutting most of that out and going Paleo would be a big quality-of-life change that I’m not ready to embrace.

Cook Your Week

But, just for the week, I’m playing along, and so I’ve decided to tackle one of those dishes about which I’ve always been curious: cauliflower “rice.” It basically involves pulsing the vegetable into small bits so that it resembles the grain, at which point in can be used in both raw and cooked preparations. Here, I’m giving it the kitchen-sink treatment, throwing in diced leftover chicken, vegetables and egg for a version of fried “rice.” Soy sauce is a bit of a cheat for true Paleos, but if you use the gluten-free kind, you’re probably fine (or you can sub in coconut aminos if you prefer). Oh, and I found out that Trader Joe’s sells cauliflower “rice” ready to go in the freezer. Of course they do.

If you’re going to make your own, remove the core from one head cauliflower, and break apart the florets. Place in the bowl of a food processor (you may need to do this in two batches) and pulse until the cauliflower is the size of rice granules. This might take about 20 pulses, but don’t overdo it. Set aside.

In a wok or large nonstick pan, heat 1½ tablespoons sesame oil over medium-high heat. Thinly slice 2 largescallions, and add the white and light green parts to the pan. Saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the cauliflower and 2 cups chopped frozen vegetables (I like the kind with peas, carrots, corn and green beans). It’s better if they’re at least partially thawed, but you can put them in frozen if you’re pressed for time. Stir together with ½cup chicken or vegetable broth and cover the pan. Steam for about 5 minutes to cook the cauliflower and vegetables. Push to one side of the pan, and pour off any excess liquid, if necessary (one problem with not using real rice is that the vegetables expel liquid as opposed to absorbing it). Crack an egg into the pan and scramble, breaking up with a spoon once cooked. Stir the egg into the mixture along with the dark greens of the scallions, 1½ cups chopped cooked chicken, 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce, and pepper, to taste. Adjust for seasoning with kosher salt and lemon juice, if desired.